Record flooding of the Lower Wabash River occurred, prompting state disaster declarations that included Wabash, White, and Gallatin Counties. Floodfighting activities included the construction of temporary sandbag levees. An agricultural levee near Calvin (in White County) was breached in three places, inundating thousands of acres of farmland. All access to the small community of Maunie (in White County) was cut off by floodwaters, and half of the community was underwater. Ambulances were sent to rescue three oil field workers who were caught in floodwaters near Crossville. No serious injuries were reported. Combined effects of the Wabash and Little Wabash Rivers resulted in at least one half million dollars in damage to White County roads. In Grayville (in Edwards County), there was sandbagging of a few structures, and some basements were flooded. In Wabash County, water was up to Route 1 in Mount Carmel. Greathouse Creek backed up into Mount Carmel, forcing the evacuation of a trailer park and closing a street. Extensive sandbagging of an agricultural levee was required near Keensburg. Much of Beall Woods State Park was flooded, including a bridge that was under three feet of water. Isolated evacuations of some lowland residents were conducted all along the river. Numerous roads were closed.  River levels neared the base of the State Route 64 bridge connecting Mount Carmel IL and East Mount Carmel IN, but the bridge was not officially closed. Two large sections of an abandoned railroad bridge collapsed into the river just north of the Interstate 64 bridge. The flood crest at Mount Carmel, Illinois was 33.95 feet, which exceeded the highest on record. The flood crest at New Harmony, IN was 23.14 feet, the highest since January of 1950. The river crested at both locations on the 13th. The record flooding was partially the result of rapid snowmelt from a record-setting snowstorm that crippled southeast Illinois and southwest Indiana just before Christmas. The 22 inches that fell in Evansville, IN set a 24-hour snowfall record. All of the snow cover, which contained liquid equivalents from 1 to 2.5 inches in southern and central Indiana, melted by New Year's Day. The rapid snowmelt was then followed by a widespread heavy rainfall event from 2 to 4 inches over parts of the Wabash Basin from January 1st to the 3rd. Yet another heavy rainfall event occurred from the 4th to the 6th, bringing an additional 2 to 4 inches. Two additional heavy rainfall events, from 1 to 4 inches, affected central and/or southern Indiana on the 11th and again on the 13th. As the record flood crest was moving down the river, flood fighting activities occurred in brutally cold conditions from the 15th to the 18th. Lows were in the single digits each day.

Flood in EDWARDS, ILLINOIS
From 05-JAN-05 05:00:00 to 31-JAN-05 11:00:00 (CST)
Property damage: 15K
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY

Flood in GALLATIN, ILLINOIS
From 05-JAN-05 05:00:00 to 31-JAN-05 11:00:00 (CST)
Property damage: .1M
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY

Flood in WABASH, ILLINOIS
From 05-JAN-05 05:00:00 to 31-JAN-05 11:00:00 (CST)
Property damage: .4M
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY

Flood in WHITE, ILLINOIS
From 05-JAN-05 05:00:00 to 31-JAN-05 11:00:00 (CST)
Property damage: .5M
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY